Spanish
The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, arrived this Wednesday in the Dominican Republic to fulfill an official visit that, among other points, seeks to "strengthen" the "joint efforts" in the fight against drug trafficking, in the first visit of a Pentagon chief to the country, and amid the tension over the military deployment ordered by the Donald Trump government in the Caribbean.
The plane carrying Hegseth landed around 13:00 local time (17:00 GMT) at the Las Américas International Airport (AILA), in eastern Santo Domingo, where he was received by authorities from the US embassy in the country.
At 14:30 local time (18:30 GMT) he is scheduled to arrive at the National Palace for a meeting with the country's president, Luis Abinader, who announced on Monday that Hegseth will visit the country to "continue coordinating" the "trust" between both countries to confront drug trafficking and other transnational crimes.You can also read: US condemns Colombian to five years for money laundering of Mexican drug trafficking
"We (United States and Dominican Republic) have had a collaboration, a strong fight against drug trafficking at a time when the production of cocaine has increased in some South American countries," the president said. Hegseth arrives in the Dominican Republic after announcing on November 14 the launch of a military operation called Lanza del Sur, related to Washington's fight against drug trafficking originating in Latin America, at a time marked by the growing pressure from the Donald Trump government on Venezuela. In fact, the Dominican authorities will incinerate almost two tons of drugs captured this month on the country's coasts tomorrow in two actions in support of that operation, promoted by the United States, which has deployed a military contingent in Caribbean waters and has destroyed several boats that, it assures, were transporting drugs to that nation. Last Monday, the Donald Trump administration designated the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist group, to which it attributes links with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and with the military leadership of that country. This decision gives the Trump administration additional tools to increase pressure on the Maduro government.
